Southwest Division Preview

1. San Antonio Spurs: Who else? You tell me, because I don’t know who else should be in first place. We are talking about the reigning champions, and for all the bullshit that they receive that they’re too boring, or beat some easy teams to win it all (insert Cavaliers here), they did win it four times since ’99. And although the team is another year older, they still have Tim Duncan, and Bruce Bowen doesn’t seem to slow down either. And even if he does, they signed Ime Udoka is his backup. Not bad, right? Then there’s the energetic Manu Ginobili, and the man who scores more points in the paint than most starting centers: Tony Parker. Gregg Popovich still leads these guys, so until someone beats the champs, they are number one.

2. Dallas Mavericks: The reigning MVP, J5, Terry, Stack, Harris, coached by Avery Johnson; it’s time to forget the Golden State playoff series and play with the swagger they had during the regular season. They know they can win it all. Anything less than reaching the NBA Finals should be considered as a disappointment. In fact, if they don’t win the trophy, now that will truly be a disappointment in Dallas. Not as disappointing as seeing Mark Cuban dance, but it’s almost as bad.

3. Houston Rockets: I wonder how many games Yao and McGrady will play together this season. A lot? Great season. Not much? The usual. They might win some, they might lose some. I do know one thing: the Rockets got a lot of point guards now, and although Rafer Alston will remain the starter, Steve Francis and Mike James are back too, in the city where they were the happiest in their careers. But how long will that last, if new coach Rick Adelman can’t find playing time for Francis? Adelman will open up the offense for the Rockets, which should make them more exciting to watch, and they could have a very nice regular season. With some help from Shane Battier and a fresh Bonzi Wells, this could be another good season for the Rockets. But health will determine if they are more than just good.

4. New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul is the third best point guard in the NBA, and has a very nice team around him. Tyson Chandler really is in the right place playing for the Hornets, and can have a Camby-like career (hopefully with fewer injuries). Other big guys like David West and Hilton Armstrong are good to have on the roster too, they both can play. If Stojakovic can’t stay healthy, the organization made a smart move in getting Morris Peterson. For Peterson this will be a good opportunity to revive his career. It might be harsh to say it was dead, but Peterson can really help out this somewhat unproven team. Another young team which will be very interesting to watch.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Dunk. Dunk. Dunk. Dunk. What? The four dunks can be replaced by the names Gay. Warrick, Swift and Gasol. Great trade in getting Navarro, and drafting Mike Conley. Although it’s still a bit weird because they also have Kyle Lowry, and veteran Damon Stoudamire. Don’t be surprised if one of them is used as trade bait. Probably not Conley, but one of the other two is a possibility. Mike Miller always finds ways to score, so there will be no problems on the offensive side in Memphis. But I doubt they will win more than 30-35 games this year.